This invention relates in general to vehicle brake assemblies and in particular to an improved structure for a guide pin for a vehicle disc brake assembly and disc brake assembly including such a guide pin.
Most vehicles today are equipped with a brake system for retarding or stopping movement of the vehicle in a controlled manner. A typical brake system for an automobile or truck includes a disc brake assembly for each of the front wheels and either a drum brake assembly or a disc brake assembly for each of the rear wheels. The brake assemblies are typically actuated by hydraulic or pneumatic pressure generated when an operator of the vehicle depresses a brake pedal. The structures of these drum brake assemblies and disc brake assemblies, as well as the actuators therefore are well known in the art.
A typical disc brake assembly includes an anchor bracket which is secured to a fixed, non-rotatable component of the vehicle. A pair of brake shoes are supported on the anchor bracket for sliding movement relative thereto. The brake shoes have respective friction pads which are disposed on opposite sides of a brake disc. The disc, in turn, is connected to the wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith. To effect braking action, the brake shoes are moved inwardly toward one another so as to frictionally engage the opposed sides of the disc. Such frictional engagement causes retarding or stopping of the rotational movement of the disc and, therefore, the wheel of the vehicle in a controlled manner.
To accomplish this, the disc brake assembly further includes a caliper assembly for selectively moving the brake shoes into frictional engagement with the brake disc. The caliper assembly typically includes guide pins or other components to slidably support a caliper housing relative to the fixed anchor bracket. The caliper housing is generally C-shaped, having an inboard leg disposed adjacent the inboard brake shoe and an outboard leg disposed adjacent to the outboard brake shoe. One or more hydraulically or pneumatically actuated pistons are provided in respective cylindrical recesses formed in the caliper inboard leg adjacent to the inboard brake shoe. When the brake pedal is depressed, the piston and the inboard leg of the caliper are urged apart from one another. Specifically, the piston is urged outwardly, while the outboard leg of the caliper is urged inwardly. As mentioned above, the piston is disposed adjacent to the inboard brake shoe and, therefore, urges it outwardly toward the inner side of the disc. Because the caliper is slidably mounted on the pins of the anchor bracket, the caliper outboard leg (and, thus, the outboard brake shoe disposed adjacent thereto) are urged inwardly toward the outer side of the disc. As result, the brake shoes frictionally engage the opposed sides of the disc.